If you experienced any peculiarities trying to login today, worry no more. You can now use the traditional update page with no problems. Somehow a variable named Trisha starting popping up and made everything crazy. If you are reaidng this Trisha, you can feel honored that the variable chose your name, hahahaha.

The quickUpdate, my personal favorite, worked the whole time, allowing you to update you journal as fast as sending an IM. I will be adding photo capability to it shortly.

I am also going to share a little secret with you'll. Sometime in the "near" futureI would like to implement voice journals, kind of like a group answering machine where we can leave voice messages for each other on your journals. This make take a while as I am quite busy with my stupid school projects. But you can expect it to happen sometime in the near future.

Here is a rundown for some of the (e:strip) v1.5 updates. Its not a huge change from v1.4 to v1.5 but there are some great improvements.

1. The (e:strip) logo at the top of the banner is a link back to the elmwood journal/home page.

2. Major Time Saver - There is a new "QuickUpdate" button on the journals directly under the user's pictures. By clicking on it you bring up a pop up box which allows you to quickly add a journal entry without having to access the more complicated update page.

3. The traditional update page, still accessed by the write button at the top, has had many upgrades. You can now update and delete multiple journals at a time. This saves lots of time. I have also moved the uploaded images library to a separate window in order to speed up load time when doing text-only updates.

Well the Amy Goodman event at Hallwalls is coming up this Wednesday. I hope that I see all of you there. You can see the prices on the flyer above. If anyone would like tickets please email paul@radiofreebuffalo.com

Also if you would like mor einformation or to download our trifold broschure, please click on this to radiofreebuffalo - the site of the Buffalo Coalition for Progressive Media.

The radio is on all day today playing a mix of music including Kimya Dawson.

What -- Stop the FTAA! Rally
Where -- Niagara Square, Downtown Buffalo, outside of Buffalo City Hall
When -- Saturday, November 22nd at Noon

Tons of Musical entertainment will be provided, featuring the 12-8 Path Band, the Buffalo chapter of the Raging Grannies (in their premiere performance!) and Jean Dickson. Join us and hear from workers from Tri-Co and Buffalo China who have lost their jobs, residents from Hickory Woods, elected officials, and local community groups. Props,puppets, and street theatre will be plentiful!

The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is the expansion of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to every country in in Central America, South America and the Caribbean, except Cuba. NAFTA has devestated communities throughout North America, including Buffalo; over 50,000 jobs have left New York State since NAFTA was enacted. If you think NAFTA has been a disaster for working families and the environment in the US, Canada, and Mexico, the FTAA (also known as NAFTA on Steroids) will be far worse.

This week, labor, environmental, human rights, and peace groups all over the nation will rally together in solidarity with thousands of people protesting the FTAA as it's being negotiated at the trade ministerial meeting in Miami and with those protesting human rights violations at the School of the Americas (SOA) in Georgia to stop this "Race to the Bottom" and to affirm that Another World Is Possible!

The WNY Fair Trade Coalition is a coalition of labor unions, environmental, community, and student groups. For more info on the rally, call Roger at 833-5416 or Charles at 894-2013.

We will also be doing a car caravan "Reality Tour" of Free Trade's Impact on Buffalo earlier that Saturday morning. Car caravan meets at 11 AM sharp at Buffalo China/ Oneida at 500 Bailey Avenue. For more info, call Mike or Emily at 882-6003.